Notes are from the 4th Edition of Medical Terminology: A Living Language By B.F. Fremgen & S.S. Frucht E. Unit 3 Therapeutic Procedures_Integumentary System Skin Grafting Allograft Skin graft from one person to another. Donor is usually a cadaver Autograft Skin graft from a person’s own body. Dermatome Instrument for cutting the skin or thin transplants of skin. Dermatoplasty Or (also called) Skin Graft Transplantation of skin. The transfer of skin from a normal area to cover another site. Used to treat burn victims and after some surgical procedures. Heterograft Or (also called) Xenograft Skin graft from an animal of another species (usually a pig) to a human. Surgical Procedures Cauterization Destruction of tissue by using caustic chemicals, electric currents, heat, or by freezing. Cryosurgery The use of extreme cold to freeze and destroy tissue Curettage Debridement Electrocautery Incision and Drainage (I & D) Removal of superficial skin lesions with a surgical instrument shaped like a spoon, called a curette, or a scraper. Removal of foreign material and dead or damaged tissue from a wound. To destroy tissue with an electric current. Making an incision to create an opening for the drainage of material such as pus. Plastic Surgery Procedures Chemabrasion Abrasion using chemicals. (Also called a chemical peel.) Dermabrasion Abrasion or rubbing using wire brushes or sandpaper. Performed to remove acne scars, tattoos, and scar tissue. Laser Therapy Removal of skin lesions and birthmarks using a laser beam that emits intense heat and power at close range. The laser converts frequencies of light into one small, powerful beam. Liposuction Rhytidectomy Removal of fat beneath the skin by means of suction. Surgical removal of excess skin to eliminate wrinkles. (Commonly referred to as a face lift.)